Red diesel only in Uk waters from 1 April (not a joke !)

[Anonymous]

See this posted on the YBW news page :

From 1 April each time a yachtsman buys red diesel he/she must declare that the fuel will only be used in UK waters.

British
sailors with tax-reduced dyed diesel in their tanks have previously
been hit with on-the-spot fines of up to £750 in Belgium and the Belgian
Embassy (see PBO February 2012) has told PBO reader Bob Calver that the
country will continue this practice.

Belgium believes that ‘EU
legislation clearly does not allow the use of dyed diesel for leisure
vessels and member states have to conform to this’, although the British
and Irish governments disagree.

RYA chief executive Sarah
Treseder believes that the European Commission ‘possibly’ also believes
the use of red diesel infringes EU law (see PBO April 2012 – on sale 1
March).

However, only the European Court of Justice has the power
to decide who is right in this matter and the commission has already
referred the matter to that court, although it could be several months
before an outcome is reached.

Yesterday the economic secretary to the Treasury,
Chloe Smith, explained that changes would be made ‘following a
challenge by the European Commission to the UK practice of allowing
marked red diesel with the full duty paid to be used in this way,
maintaining that it was contrary to EU legislation on the marking of
fuels.’

Ms Smith said: ‘The changes ensure that red diesel can
continue to be used as fuel for propelling private pleasure craft in UK
coastal waters and on the inland waterways in accordance with current
procedures.’

Before 11 March you can tell HM Revenue & Customs what you think of the new legislation by emailing envirotax.bst or by post to Transport Taxes Team, HM Revenue & Customs, Room 1/37, 100 Parliament Street, London, SW1A 2BQ.

Suggests that going ‘foreign’ necessitates ‘white’ diesel or face a hefty fine.

Alasdair

[Anonymous]

More at

https://www.pbo.co.uk/news/530844/rya-using-red-diesel-in-foreign-waters-will-not-be-unlawful

or click here

[Anonymous]

Even more from the RYA, issued on 23 rd Feb 2012

The RYA is insisting that the government’s new red diesel proposals will not make it illegal to use marked fuel in international waters.

On Monday the Treasury announced new legislation that will force sailors buying red diesel from 1 April to declare that it will be only be used in UK waters.

The economic secretary to the Treasury, Chloe Smith, said the changes would ‘ensure that red diesel can continue to be used as fuel for propelling private pleasure craft in UK coastal waters and on the inland waterways in accordance with current procedures’.

But in a statement the RYA has said that it is not illegal to use red diesel for ‘propelling private pleasure craft in international waters’, but the proposals give the impression that it is.

Gus Lewis, the RYA’s head of government affairs, said: ‘There is nothing in the government’s proposals that would actually make the use of marked red diesel for propelling a private pleasure craft outside UK waters unlawful.

‘However, what it is attempting to do is to make recreational boaters sign a declaration acknowledging a legal situation that doesn’t exist under UK law.

‘The RYA cannot support this proposed amendment to the Hydrocarbon Oils Duties Act 1979. I have been in contact with HMRC today about the consultation documents and will keep boaters informed of progress.’

[Anonymous]

The yachting community is being urged to persuade the government to retain the use of Red Diesel.

Please sign the petition at http://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/30209.

100,000 signatures are required in a short period.

John Claisse

Cruising Secretary

[Author]

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